Across the Fence

Began in 1955 and is the longest-running daily farm-and-home television program in the country.

Produced right here in Vermont for over 50 years, it continues to address the needs and interests of Vermonters.

100 Years of UVM Extension (1913 - 2013)

UVM Extension started on February 15, 1913, when the Vermont Legislature passed an act that appropriated funds "solely for the work in agricultural extension." Since that day, UVM Extension has been helping individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work.

In the early days, much of our work was helping farmers increase their crop yields and productivity through the use of fertilizers and machinery, and building 4-H youth education programs. Today, Extension is educating low-income families how to prepare nutritious meals on a limited budget, teaching youth life skills through 4-H, providing marketing and business planning services to farmers, and working with producers, distributors and retailers to promote a local foods system.

Much has changed over the years but one thing has not: our commitment to working with the people in Vermont to strengthen families, communities, and our working landscape.

In 2014, we celebrate the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service, a unique educational partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the nation's land-grant universities that extends research-based knowledge through a state-by-state network of extension educators.

For 100 years, the Smith-Lever Act has stimulated innovative research and vital educational programs for youth and adults through progressive information delivery systems that improved lives and shaped a nation. Join us as we celebrate 100 years of extending knowledge and changing lives.